Wire-fence machine.



PATENTED JUNE 20, 1905.

J. A. GOCKER.

WIRE FENCE MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MARA. 1905.

6 SHEETS-SHEET l` No'l 792,697.

PATENTBD JUNE 2o, 1905.

l J.4 A. GOGKER. WIREPENGE MACHINE.

APPLIOATION FILED MAB. 1.1905..

6 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

PATENTED JUNE 20, 1905.

J. A. COGKER.

WIRE FENCE MACHINE.

APPLIUATION FILED MAR.1.1905.

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PATENTED JUNE 20, 1905.

J. A. COCKER.

WIRE FENCE MACHINE.

APPLIGAToN FILED MAR.1.1905.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 4,

PATENTED JUNE 20, 1905.

J. A. CCKER.

WIRE FENCE MACHINE.

APPLIOATIONIILED MAR.1. 1905.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 5.'

l.. ww- ...www SN No. 792,697. PATENTED JUNE 20, 1905.

J. A. COUKER.

WIEE FENCE MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.1. 1905.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 6.

NTTED STATES Patented June 20, 1905.

PATENT rricn.

JOHN A. COCKER, OF J OLIET, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO TI-IE AMERICAN STEEL AND WIRE COMPANY OF NEW JERSEY, OF IVORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF NEV JERSEY.

WIRE-FENCE MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 792,697, dated June 20, 1905.

Application filed March l, 1905. Serial No. 247,869.

To all whom, it may con/cern:

Be it known that I, JOHN A. Coenen, a citizen of the United States, residing at Joliet, county of Will, State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in I/Vire-Fence Machines; and I do hereby declare the following' to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The object of the invention is to adapt the machine originally covered in the patents granted to A. J. Bates, February 23, 1897, No. 577,639, and October 19, 1897, No. 591,996, to make fencing where the verticalstay-wires instead of extending across the spaces between the strand-wires in unbroken lines will extend in given vertical planes across alternate spaces only, so that instead of making a fencing such as illustrated, for example, in Figures 17 or 20 of Patent No. 591,966 it will make a fencing such as illustrated in Fig. 9 of the present drawings.

With this general object in view the present invention consists in providing the machine with an additional shaft for the staywire feeding-rolls and dividing these rolls into sets, one set being on one shaft and the other set on the other shaft and the arrangement being such that the rolls on the two shafts alternate in positionthat is to say, the rolls operated by one shaft are placed opposite the spaces between the rolls operated by the other shaft.

The rolls for feeding the stay-wires may be operated in any way that will produce the desired result. I have shown them herein as operated from the same overhead shaft which drives them in Patent No. 591,996; but the present invention includes an improved driving mechanism whereby the sets of rolls are driven alternately, so that while one set is feeding in its stay-wires the other set is idle, and when this other set is operated to feed its wires the first set mentioned is idle.

The stay-wires are fed in with the same stepby-step motion as in the two Batess patents above referred to, and the two roll-operating shafts are timed and actuated so that at any given stage only every other wire is fed in. For example, the wires corresponding to the first, third, iifth, and seventh spaces will be advanced at one actuation of the roll-feeding mechanism, and the wires corresponding to the second, fourth, sixth, and eighth spaces will be advanced at the next actuation of this mechanism.

The general structure of the machine is or may be the same as that of the patents above referred to, and except in respect of the staywire feeding mechanism the presentinvention necessitates no departure from the former construction. Thus there will be a coiler for each strand-wire, and these wires will be or may be fed in and pass through the machine in precisely the same way. The coilers will be timed and driven as before, and the only difference in their operation in the present invention is that each coiler herein only coils one end of one section of the stay-wires instead of intercoiling the overlapped ends of adjacent sections of the same wires.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, where- Fig. 1 is a side View of a portion of the machine at the end where the wires are fed in. Fig. 2 is an end View of the machine, showing the stay-wire feeding-rolls and one of their shafts. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken midway of the machine, showing the arrangement of the stay-wire feeding-rolls with the rolls for feeding the strand-wires and the coilers and other parts. Fig. i is a plan view of the mechanism for operating the stay-wire feed-roll shafts. Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail, in side elevation, of the immediate mechanism for operating these shafts; and Fig. 6 isa vertical section of the same. Fig.7 is a side view of the pawl-and-ratchet arrangement looking in the direction of the arrow a' in Fig. 5. Fig. 8 is a similar view of the same arrangement looking in the direction of the arrow -i/ in Fig. 5. Fig. 9 illustrates the kind of fencing contemplated by the present invention.

Referring to the views, it will be noted that the framing of the machine, which, however, forms no part of the present improvement, is or may be constructed like that of the former patents.

The stay-wire guides are indicated at a a, Figs.` l and 3. The strand wires pass in through similar guides through coilcrs c, that are located, constructed, and operated as in the former patents. The rolls for feeding the stay-wires are shown at e d, being arranged in pairs, as before, the driving-rolls of each pair being mounted on a vertical shaft and intergeared with similar rolls individually mounted in brackets on one of the vertical frame-pieces. In the original machine the feed-rolls for the stay-wires were all mounted upon one shaft, so as to feed in all of the staywires at the same time. In the present invention there are two feed-roll shafts f f', and the rolls are divided into sets, one set or half of the rolls being mounted upon one shaft and the other set or half of the-rolls being mounted on the other shaft.

rl`he feed-roll shafts are mounted one behind the other in the line of feed of the staywires, as shown in Fig. 2, and the alternate position of the rolls e e on the two shafts is illustrated in Figs. 1 and 3. At their upper ends the shafts ff are provided with pinions meshing with gears g g on a short overhead shaft which is mounted in bearings at the top of the machine and is operated from the same crank-disk 7a which operates the corresponding shaft in Patent No. 591,996. rI`he crank-disk is mounted on the shaft Z, which is operated from the main drive-shaft m of the machine b y bevel and spur gearing n 0 and which in turn through the intermediacy of other gearing p q operates other parts of the machine with which the present invention is not conc'erned.

As before described, the feed-roll shafts are operated alternately, and at each actuation they feed in only sufficient wire to extend across the spaces between the strand-wires, when these fed-in lengths are severed by cutters s, that are constructed, arranged, and operated as in the former patents. The strandwires are all fed simultaneously and intermittently with a step-by-step motion, as before. The feed-wires are also fed intermittently, but not simultaneously, except as to those which form each set, all of the stay-wires of one set being advanced with respect to one of the advance movements of the strand-wires and all the stay-wires of the other set being advanced with respect to the next advance movement of the strand-wires, so that the strand-wires are all advanced for a certain distance and one set of the stay-wires is applied to them, after which the strand-wires are again advanced and the other set of stay-wires is applied.

In order to operate the feed-roll shaftsff alternately, I make the operating-gear g loose on the shaft /L and the operating-gear g fast on the shaft and these gears are driven with a step-by-step movement from the crank-disk /c by means of the pitman z5, connected to the wrist of the crank and to an arm u, which oscillates on the shaft It between the ratchetdisk a', that is fast on the shaft, and a similar ratchet-disk b, that is fast on the gear g. The oscillating arm u carries a pair of pawls c CZ, which engage, respectively, the ratchetdisks a b', so that on each operative stroke of the arm u the pawls will operate one or the other of the ratchet-disks, as will now be described.

vAs will be understood from the above description, only7 one of the gears g g is operated at each throw of the pawl-carrying arm u. It is therefore necessary that at each throw of the arm one of the pawls must be thrown out of operative connection with its ratchetdisk. Each disk is provided with notches 71, for the pawls to engage in, and there may be as many of these notches as desired. As shown herein, there are four at equal distances around the periphery of the disks, and the gears g g are thereby given a quarter-revolution for each throw of the pawls.

In order to throw the pawls alternately out of action, I mount alongside of each ratchetdisk and between ,said disks and the oscillating arm u idler-cams In', the one, 2, lying flat against the rachet-disk d and the one, 7c', lying against the ratchet-disk Z/ and both being loosely sleeved or journaled on the hubs of the ratchet-disks, as best shown in Fig. 6. Each of these idler-cams is provided with notches m', corresponding in number with the notches of its companion ratchet-disk; but at two diametrically opposite points the notches of the idler-cam 2 are of less depth than the notches in theratchet-disk a at that point, so that the pawl c', whose end Z engages the face of both disks, cannot fall into the notches /1/ of the ratchet-disk at those two points. The notches m in the disk 2 at the other two diametrically opposite points are equal in depth with the corresponding' notches /t' of the ratchet-disk a at those points, so as to permit the end of the pawl to fall into the ratchetnotches at these points.

The notches in the idler-cam have precisely the same arrangement relative to the notches in the ratchet-disk but the notches in the idlers which hold the pawl nl out of engagement with the ratchet-disk alternate in position around the cam with the corresponding notches in the other idler. The result of the arrangement is that on one of the operating strokes of the oscillating arm 'a the pawl c' is allowed to engage the idler-cam 2 and its ratchet-disk a', and the other pawl 0?/ engages only the idler-cam 71; and is held thereby out of engagement with its ratchet-disk IOO IIO

The construction being as thus described, the manner of feeding in the stay-wires needs no further explanation; but in respect of the action of the oscillating pawls it is to be noted that each idler-cam disk is actuated by its pawl at each forward movement of the pawlcarrying arm. Owing, however, to the fact that every other notch on each of the idlers is so constructed as not to permit the end of its pawl to drop into the notch of its ratchetdisk, the ratchet-disks themselves are only acted on by the pawls at every other forward movement of the oscillating arm, and the angular arrangement of the notches in one idlercam with respect to those in the other is such that when one of the pawls is allowed to engage its ratchet the other pawl is held up by the idler out of engagement with its ratchet,

and when so held up the idler-cam disk, which is formed to move independently of the ratchet-disk, is pushed around by the pawl. )n the return stroke the pawl slips over the surface of both idler and ratchet disks and falls into the next notch of the latter, which being of equal depth to that of the corresponding notch in the ratchet-disk allows the pawl to drop so as to engage and turn both disks on the next stroke. In this way, as will be understood, every forward throw of each pawl rotates its idler-cam; but only every other throw of each pawl rotates its ratchetdisk.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is#

l. In a wire-fence machine, the combination of mechanism for feeding the strand-wires, and mechanism for feeding the stay-wires and cutting them into lengths corresponding to the spaces between the strand-wires, said staywire-feeding mechanism comprising two sets of rolls and means for operating the sets alternately.

2. In a wire-fence machine, the combination of mechanism for feeding the strand-wires, and mechanism for feeding the stay-wires and cutting them into lengths corresponding to the spaces between the strand-wires, said stay- Wire-feeding mechanism comprising' rolls and a pair of alternately-operated shafts on which said rolls are carried, alternate rolls being mounted on different shafts.

3. In a wire-fence machine, the combination of mechanism for feeding all the strand-wires intermittently and simultaneously, and mechanism for intermittently feeding the stay-wires and cutting them into lengths corresponding to the spaces between the strand-wires, said stay-wires being fed alternately so that only every other space will be crossed by a staywire in any given line.

4. In a wire-fence machine, the combination of a pair of shafts for operating the stay-wire feed-rolls, 'a shaft carrying gears for driving a pair of oscillating pawls, and mechanism .for throwing the pawls alternately into operative connection with their ratchets on their working stroke.

6. In a wire-fence machine, the combination of a pair of shafts for operating the stay-wire feed-rolls, a shaft carrying gears for driving said feed-roll shafts, one of said gears being fast and the other loose on the shaft, a pair of ratchets, one of which is fast to each gear, an oscillating arm carrying a pair of pawls, and mechanism for throwing the pawls alternately out of operative connection with their ratchets on each working stroke of the arm.

7. In a wire-fence machine, the combination of a pair of shafts for operating the stay-wire feed-rolls, a shaft carrying gears for driving' said feed-roll shafts, one of said gears being fast and the other loose on the shaft, a pair of ratchets, one of which is fast to each gear, an oscillating pawl for each ratchet, and a cam on the shaft adjacent to each ratchet, said cams being constructed to prevent either pawl from engaging its ratchet while the other pawl engages its ratchet.

8. In a wire-fence machine, the combination of a pair of shafts for operating the stay-wire feed-rolls, a shaft carrying gears for driving said feed-roll shafts, one of said gears being fast and the otherloose on the shaft, a ratchetdisk fast to each gear, oscillating pawls for operating the disks, said disks having each a notch for each operative stroke of its pawl, a cam-disk loose on the shaft adjacent to each ratchet-disk, said cam disks having notches corresponding in position to those of the ratchet-disks, the cams being rotated with and by the pawls on their operative strokes, and their notches being constructed to allow each pawl to operate its ratchet on every other stroke.

9. Ina wire-fence machine, the combination of a pair of shafts for operating the stay-wire feed-rolls, a shaft carrying gears for driving said feed-roll shafts, one of said gears being fast and the other loose on the shaft, a .ratchetdisk fast to each gear, oscillating pawls for operating the disks, a notch in each disk for each operative stroke of its pawl, an idler-disk loose on the shaft adjacent to each ratchetdisk, notches in said idlers corresponding in position to those of the ratchets, the idlernotches at two diametrically opposite points IOO IIO

' corresponding in depth with those in the ratchets, and the idler-notches at the other two diametrically opposite points beingq of less depth than those in the ratchets, so that the 5 idlers turn with the ratchets on each stl-oke of the pawl, and prevent the pawls from turning' the ratohets on alternate strokes.

In testimony Whereof'I afx my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

JOHN A. COCKER. Witnesses:

FRED T. JENKINS, F. D. HAYNES. 

